More Than One in Three Americans Would Like to See Bigfoot Proven as Real, According to National Poll

More Than One in Three Americans Would Like to See Bigfoot Proven as Real, According to National Poll
October 13, 2009
Reuters

More Than One in Three Americans Would Like to See Bigfoot Proven as Real,
According to National Poll
- Just in time for Halloween, Animal Planet and Zogby Explore What Americans
Believe About Ghosts, Goblins and Other Creatures of the Night -

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- With vampires, zombies and other
legendary creatures flooding pop culture, it's clear that Americans have a
fascination with all things superhuman, supernatural and superbeast. But does
fascination translate into full-blooded belief of these creatures, or do the
TV shows, movies and books merely provide escapist entertainment for the
masses? Animal Planet and Zogby polled 2,713 adults nationally to find out if
they truly believe the stories, or if they think these creatures are as
fictional as the childhood monsters under our beds.

Interesting results from the poll include:

-- More than one third of those surveyed (39%) said they have seen a
ghost
or know someone who has. Fifty-four percent have never seen a ghost
before, while eight percent were unsure.
-- When asked what legendary creature they would like to see proven as
real, thirty-six percent of people said they would like Bigfoot to be
real, while 21% said ghosts. Twenty-seven percent said various other
creatures, including vampires and werewolves.
-- About one in five respondents (21%) said they have been visited by a
dead friend or relative, while 72% said they haven't been and 8% were
unsure.
-- When respondents were asked what creature they would least like to
meet
in a dark alley, werewolf topped the list with 20%. Thirteen percent
said vampire, and 12% said zombie.

-- A surprising 35% percent of people said they believe in aliens, while
40% said they don't, and 25% were unsure.

Overall, about one third of the population seems open to the notion that
ghosts, cryptid creatures like Bigfoot, and aliens do exist. To satisfy this
craving for supernatural entertainment, Animal Planet has two series, in
premieres this fall, which tackle the unknown.

Every Tuesday at 10 PM (ET/PT), discover the stories behind the creatures that
science refuses to recognize with LOST TAPES. Bigfoot, werewolves, vampires,
the Jersey devil. . . while their existence has never been proven, alleged
sightings and encounters suggest that there are species that have managed to
elude the reach of mankind. You've heard the legends, but LOST TAPES is where
myth meets reality.

Then, premiering November 22, at 10 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet breaks into a
new genre by introducing an original 10-part series, THE HAUNTED, which takes
an intimate look at stories of people whose animals act as mediaries to the
afterworld. Often the subjects of the most intense paranormal hauntings,
animals are commonly believed to be more sensitive to spirits than people.
Think of them as canaries in the paranormal coalmines. But when spirits
afflict pets, the animals aren't the only victims. Owners also fall prey to
paranormal activity and will often stop at nothing to rid their homes and pets
of paranormal spirits.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: In honor of Halloween, there will be two special airings of
the LOST TAPES: Vampire and LOST TAPES: Werewolf episodes. Viewers can tune-in
on Sunday, October 25, and Thursday, October 29, from 7-8 PM (ET/PT) to catch
both episodes.

LOST TAPES is produced for Animal Planet by Go Go Luckey. Gary Auerbach and
Tina Gazzerro are the executive producers for Go Go Luckey, and Kevin Mohs is
the executive producer for Animal Planet. Marc Etkind is the development
executive for Animal Planet.

THE HAUNTED is produced for Animal Planet by Picture Shack productions. George
Plamondon and Betsy Schechter are the executive producers for Picture Shack,
and Dawn Sinsel is the executive producer for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery
Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers
in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via
multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a
centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging,
high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the
Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in
the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination
for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond;
Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet
adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD)
service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.